Adding to yesterday’s great news that the Titanium mine, planned for Chi Phat, has been shelved, the Cambodian government is now drafting a sub-decree to increase the size of Koh Kong Province’s Protected Forest. Someone up there must have started fretting about his karma and the afterlife!

For Family: 2 full paying adults traveling with up to 2 children (less than 12 years), children will be accommodated in separate room free of charge
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For Couples: 1 full paying adult with the second person receives 50% discount from the current rate (for new booking with specified date only)

Programmes and Availability

Lisu Lodge

Lisu and Lanna Trekking 4 Days / 3 Nights:
16-19 Apr, 21-24 Apr, 23-26 Apr, 26-29 Apr
7-10 May, 17-20 May,
Lisu Trekking 3 Days / 2 Nights:
17-19 Apr, 19-21 Apr, 21-23 Apr, 22-24 Apr, 28-30 Apr
19-21 May, 21-23 May, 25-27 May
2-4 Jun, 29 Jun-1Jul
Lisu and Lanna Soft Adventure 3 Days / 2 Nights:
13-15 Apr, 14-16 Apr, 17-19 Apr,
21-23 Apr, 24-26 Apr, 25-27 Apr
2-4 May
Lisu Lodge Soft Adventure 2 Days / 1 Night:
13-14 Apr
2-3 May, 15-16 May
2-3 Jun, 9-10 Jun, 18-19 Jun, 26-27 Jun, 30 Jun-1 Jul
Lisu Lodge Experience 2 Days / 1 Night, afternoon arrival:
14-15 Apr, 17-18 Apr, 25-26 Apr, 30 Apr-1 May
8-9 Jun, 19-20 Jun
Lisu Lodge Experience 2 Days / 1 Night, morning arrival:
13-14 Apr
8-9 May, 13-14 May

Khum Lanna

Khum Lanna Thai Country Living 2 Days / 1 Night, afternoon arrival:
1-2 May
Khum Lanna Thai Country Living 2 Days / 1 Night, morning arrival:
12-13 Apr, 15-16 Apr, 29-30 Apr
4-5 May

Lanjia Lodge

Lanjia Lodge Adventure Trekking 3 Days / 2 Nights:
11-13 May
Lanjia Lodge Half-day Trekking 2 Days / 1 Night:
22-23 Apr
Hmong Experience 2 Days / 1 Night, afternoon arrival:
13-14 Apr, 15-16 Apr, 24-25 Apr

A late minute intervention by Prime minister, Hun Sen, has saved a thriving community-based tourism project in Cambodia’s Koh Kong Province from a planned, highly destructive, Titanium mine.

The mine project, by the United Khmer Group, was rumoured to have been just a cover to gain access to the rich forests in the Cardamom mountains… UKG has other logging operations around Cambodia.

See the full story in the Phnom Penh Post today.

Nice appraisal from this French family from Japan who undertook a Mekong River Explorer trip, finishing this week:

From: Marie-Cécile Conilh de Beysac
Subject: thank you
Date: 6 March 2011 20:02:48 GMT+07:00
To: Christopher Gow
We have only have one word : wonderful ! One of our best trip.
Thank you for having allowed us to make this trip. You really deserve your ad : off the beaten tracks !!!
It was exactly corresponding to our expectations!
Our kid did every thing without any problem. He learned so much !!!
Your organization is excellent and very reliable, we will recommend it to our friends…
We are back in Tokyo with more than 1500 photos and the head full of images, emotions, flavors…
Thank you

Bernard, Cecile and Jean

And…. no!… I did not write this myself! However I am not surprised as that part of the Mekong River from Southern Laos into northern Cambodia is exceptional for anyone looking for a real, off the beaten track adventure. Time has left this part of Indochina behind. The bird life is fantastic, and village life is much as it has been since before the Khmer Rouge destroyed so much of the rest of the country. However development is threatening, with new roads being built between Stung Treng and T’beng Meanchey to the west, and the road from the Laos border to Phnom Penh is already complete. News today talks about rubber plantations encroaching into the biodiversely important Virachey National Park on the Cambodia/Lao border.

This New York Times story highlights some interesting eco-tourism developments in Cambodia.

See some of my pics from Chi Phat here on the Symbiosis Facebook page

I recently visited a community deep in the Cardomom Mountains, western Cambodia that, until recently existed to plunder the rainforest of trees and wildlife.  

Approaching Chi Phat

Chi Phat is a former logging community a 2 hour boat trip up river from the newly refurbished road linking Koh Kong to the rest of Cambodia and the largest settlement within what is now the Cardomom Mountains protected area, and it is here that the Wildlife Alliance (formerly known as Wildaid) have been driving a community based eco-tourism initiative to ween the local people off hunting endangered wildlife and chopping down the rich rainforests.

Already the commune of 4 villages and 520 families has 4 guest houses established and almost daily arrivals of Western tourists, thanks to a mention in Nick Ray’s recently published, latest edition of the Lonely Planet Cambodia. 

Guest House in Chi Phat

According to the Wildlife Alliance, 94% of the families have now thumb printed an agreement to participate in the eco tourism project, and to desist from illegal wildlife and timber trading.  Expectations must be pretty high for a quick economic result.  But I wonder if they really understand the changes that tourism will bring to their community, and I also wonder how they will moderate tourism arrivals such that the tourism itself does not drive tourism away again.

The big dilemma – how do you stop tourism from loving what it loves to death?  Most backpackers heading to a place like Chi Phat will be doing so to try to get a closer look at an authentic rural community, unadulterated by modern development or by tourism. Many will also be going there for the kudos of having gone to a place that few outsiders know about.  So what will be their response when they find that there are already dozens of foreigners wandering around the village, bathing in the waterfalls and generally “intruding” on their uniquely personal experience?

For the moment the visitors are coming in their ones and twos.  The community needs to be aware of the risks of over selling and compromising the charm of their product.  Meanwhile, they need to keep the income growing so that there is not the temptation to revert to illegal wildlife collecting.

Trekking around Chi Phat

Chi Phat’s attraction: While I was there I went for a 2 day trek into the rainforest, sleeping overnight in hammocks under a jungle shelter.  Most of the walk was through secondary forest, sometimes following former logging tracks, now heavily overgrown.  The group was too big and noisy for any real chance to see wildlife, though we did see and hear fly-overs by 2 different hornbill species – pairs of Greater Hornbill and several large flocks of Pied Hornbill.  In a natural clearing near the campsite we disturbed a large group of wild pig.

Greater Hornbills

To start the trek we too a very scenic, early morning boat ride along mist-shrowded, winding rivers through dense forests.  Such expanses of seemingly undamaged, natural growth is a wondrous thing to see and heart warming to find that Cambodia still has large expanses of unspoiled wilderness.

Upriver in Chi Phat

The second day we used mountain bikes to explore sandy tracks and trails, and to visit dramatic waterfalls.  That was great and, for people who enjoy exploring on 2 wheels, worth a two or three day visit.

Mountain Biking, Chi Phat

There is talk of building a hide near to one or both of the natural clearings where there are watering holes for the wildlife.  If this happens, then I think that Chi Phat could become a magnet to wildlife watchers… although it will be years of rebuilding trust between the nature and humans before you are likely to see very much here.  

River, Chi Phat

Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat met in Bejing on Friday, at the Asia-Europe Summint, to discuss the recent conflict at Preah Vihear.

The two Prime Ministers made an agreement to avoide anyt further fighting on the border. They also agreed to set up a committee and negotiate bilaterally the disputed border. However, there was no agreement made in relation to removal of troops along the disputed territory.

The situation on at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, near the temple of Preah Vihear has remained unchanged, since violent clashes last week ended in a cease fire agreement.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, (the Prime Minister of Cambodia) and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of Thailand have confirmed that there will be a meeting in Bejing later this week to discuss border issues. 

The travel situation in Cambodia has remained unafected by the tensions. All major airports are still operating as usual and bus systems are unaffected. Travel to Preah Vihear however, is not possible.

“A tense quiet hangs over Preah Vihear temple [today]” (Tha Cambodia Daily).

After four hours of negotiatins between Thai and Cambodia military officials an agreement had been made that no gunfir will be exchange “just like before” (The Cambodia Daily).

In what seems to be a somewhat unworkable agreement Cambodia and Thailand have agreed that neither side will withdraw its troops but instead have joint border patrols to “reduce chances of a misunderstanding that could lead to another clash” (The Cambodia Daily).

Cambodia has freed the 10 Thai soldiers that were captured after the clash and further talks were agreed upon by the military commanders, however no date has been set.

The tension at the border is isolated to one small section of the border about 4km in length and 4km wide. Two hundred civillans living at the temple were evacuated.

The situation at the border has had little effect on the conduct of people living elsewhere in Cambodia. Airports are still open, bus systems and other forms of transport are unnaffected. Those people planning to visit Cambodia should keep up to date with the situation at the temple but the main tourist destinations of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville remain unnafected by the conflict.

The Battambang Circus is touring France, but before going on tour in France, the exceptional team of “Phum Style” will give a few performances in Battambang.

“Phum Style” relates the story of a city boy coming back to his home village after years in a surrounding that totally changed his life style, “Phum Style” is a amazing cocktail of humor, theater, impressive acrobatics and juggling, creative and energetic music compositions. Don’t miss it!

With the “Khmer Halloween” over. The teenagers in group 4 will still be performing “Ghosts” for a month. “Khmer Halloween” or Pchum Ben is a time in Cambodia when the ancestors of the dead are remembered. This is a fantastic show so bring all your support.

After one year spent abroad on professional training, the “group 3” (13 young adults) will enter a creation period from the beginning of November onwards, with the intention of producing a brand new show which will be scheduled from December 2008.

If you are planning a visit to Cambodia the Circus would love to see you in Battambang!

On the 7th October 2008 the Battambang Circus will be presenting a very special show. The circus troupe will perform with the Royal Cambodian Ballet. The show will bring together about 70 performers and include performances of both classical and traditional dances, modern theatre performances, acrobatics, contortion and fun will also be provided by the Phare Ponleu Selpak troupe.

For those of you who will be in Battambang, or for those of you planning a visit to Cambodia this would be a show not to miss.

Just published a 148-page guide book showing where and how to enjoy responsible tourism activities in the three countries.  Over 25 activities in each country have been profiled in “The Guide to Responsible Tourism in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam”. Each activity creates income for local people, minimises potential negative tourism impacts, involves members of the local communities in running the business, conserves natural and cultural heritage, provides meaningful experiences for tourists, helps people with physical disabilities, and builds respect between visitors and hosts.

For example, the book makes it easier for tourists to trek responsibly with hilltribes, buy handicrafts that keep traditions alive, eat in restaurants that employ former street kids or people with disabilities, stay in accommodation that respects its local community, and discover nature in some of the most awe inspiring areas of Southeast Asia.

The colour guide book describes 82 tourism experiences from the tourist’s perspective, and how the activities help local people while respecting local culture and the environment.

Nice to see something proactive happening here (I write from Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital). I cycle to work each day, muscling between the tide of Lexus Landcruisers that wash through this city, illustrating the dramatic gulf developing between the few who have and the masses who don’t. Few people at the top appear to care about anything except personal enrichment!

Anyway, watch for an array of community-based tourism initiatives developing in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, especially.  I will shortly be adding a section to our website showing how you can spend a few days living in a community and how your visit will help them maintain their way of life.